Smelting furnace and method of smelting



Sept. 24, 1929.

R.- A. WAGSTAFF SMELTING FURNACE AND METHOD OF SMELTING Filed June 27,1925 awuen coz MOL y;

Patented Sept. 24, 1929 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE RICHARD A. WAGSTAFF,F SALT LAKE CITY UTAH, ASSIGNOR T0 AMERICAN SMELT- ING AND EEFININGCOMPANY, OF NEW YORK, 11'. Y., A CORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY SMELTING-FURNACE AND METHOD OF SMEL'IING Application filed June 27, 1925. SerialNo. 39,894.

This invention relates especially to smelting processes and furnaces ofthe reverberatory type adapted for the treatment of copper, zinc orother ores, etc. and the invention relates especially to the type ofsmelting furnace in which the melt flows from the firing or smeltingchamber away from the stack and preferably in the opposite direction tothe movement of the flue gases so that the melt flows into a separate ordistinct settling chamber where it may be heated or otherwise treated tothe desired extent and where the settling and separation of the matteand slag can take place under ideal conditions and in a veryadvantageous way. It is also advantageous to provide in the smeltingchamber a water jacketed or other suitable bridge wall which may more orless surround the charge except toward the burners or firing means andthe charge may be advantageously supported on a shelf of refractory lumpmaterial such as chrome ore or the like which materially minimizesfurnace replacements.

In the accompanying drawing showing in a somewhat diagrammatic way anillustrative embodiment of this invention,

Fig. 1 is a longitudinal section; and Fig. 2 is a top view of theillustrative furv nace.

furnace maybe formed with a roof preferably though not necessarily ofthearched type which for high smelting heats is preferably constructed ofsilica brick, and this roof may be provided with a series of feedhoppers such as 18 and co-operating feed passages 20 more or lessextending through the water cooled or other feed plate 19 supported soas to extend transversely across the smelting chamber. In this way thecharge 10 may be continuously or intermittently fed into the smeltingchamber preferably within the more or less enclosing bridge walls 14,which may be of the ordinary water jacket construction; and it isdesirable in many cases to provide adjacent the bridge wall a refractorybacking 12 formed ofsilica or chrome=brick which are desirable for thispurpose, so as to form a more on less inclined support preventingundesirable accumula- The firing or smeltingchamber .1 of the tion ofthe charge. The charge may be advantageously supported on a shelf suchas 9 of refractory lump material such as chrome ore or the like whichmay of course be fired into the furnace in connection with more or lessfiuxed material. This shelf as indicated may extend between the masonryfoundation 11 of the bridge wall 14 and the foot wall 7 towardthetapping end of the furnace, the shelf being of course supported on thefurnace bed 38 of any suitable material.

This smelting chamber may be heated in I any suitable way as by a seriesof oil or powdered coal burners 22 which mayapproach through firingopenings 29 extending more or less across the suspended bridge wall ofthe furnace, and in this way the heat may be directed toward theinclined smelting face of the charge which may be heated to the desireddegree and subjected to the desired,

flametreatment at the same time. The hot gases passing over the chargemove in the direction of the arrows 36 into the stack chamber or flue 17so that the flue dust 15 is more or less deposited against the bridgewall 14 for instance. This stack flue may have one or more waste heatboile s 32 of any desired construction on one or both sides of thelongitudinal partitions such as 31, 39 shown diagrammatically in Fig. 2.

The separate settling chamber 2 of any desired shape and construction isarranged at the tapping side of the furnace so as to be if desired onthe opposite side of the smelting charge from the flue or stack and topreferably have a low arch or small area connec tion withthe smeltingchamber;and a suitable hearth 4 may be provided beneath this Iiettlingchamber which may as indicated in Rig. 2 have a somewhat elongatedshapeiso as to extend to the tappin end or wall 40 of t e furnace whichmay e formed with a slag hole 24 and matte tapping hole 25 having theusual tapping plugs 26. One or more 7 auxiliary burner orinspectionapertures may be formed in this settling chamber and adjacentparts of the furnace such, for example,

\. one or more burner apertures 23 in the tapjfping wall 40 and smeltingburner apertures '35 in the cross wall 41 of the furnace, alsotamination of the flue dust and fresh charge so as to promote settlingof the matte-below the line-27 and in. this .way considerable reductionin the copper loss in the slagis possible with this furnace and smeltingmethod. This is of course effected most advantageous- 1y when the meltis withdrawn from the smelting chamber in the opposite direction fromthe movement of the burner flames and flue gases so as to give in a waya countercurrent operation of the furnace; and this makes possiblesavings in the fuel consumption as well as giving a large recovery ofwaste heat inthe boilers which may be in the stack flueas indicated; Byusing a shelf of lump chrome ore construction to support the chargedestructive action on this part of the furnace lining is considerablymmmnzed and of course the melt bybeing withdrawn from the intensely hotfiring zone or chamber of-the furnace can be maintained at any desiredheat, and in many cases where ial heat treatment is umiecessar relae/t1vely lower heats may be used in this part of the furnace so as tocorrespondingly reduce corrosive action by the slag and resultmgmamtenancechar es.

This invention has described in connection with an illustrative form offurnace and smeltin process, to the details of which disclosure theinvention is of course not to belimited, since whatisclaimed as new andwhat is desired to be secured b Letters Patcut is set \forth' in theappende claims:

1. A smelting furnace comprising a stack flue and a communicatingsmelting chamber having a refractory charge shelf formed of fired lumpsof chrome ore, a transverse series of burners directed: into saidsmelting chamr' wall adjacent said shelf and having a re-' fractoriybacking to support the charge being smelte a transverse series offeeding means adapted to continuously feed said charge to said shelf anda relatively narrow low arch settling chamber communicating with saidsmelting chamber and. on the opposite side thereof from said stack flueto wlthdraw the minimlm contammation by the ch'argeand flue dust. v

3. ,A reverberatory smelting furnace comprising a .stack flue andcommunicating smelting chamber having an arch roof and a charge shelfformed of fired lumps of "chrome ore, atransverseseries of burnersedirected intosaid smelting chamber toward said stack flue, a watercooled bridge wall extending across the flue side of saidshelf andhaving a refractory backing to support the charge being smelted, atransverse series. of feed, hoppers and channels adapted to continuouslyfeedsaid charge and a settlingv chamber communicating with said smeltingchamber and on the opposite]. side thereof from said stack flue towithdraw the melt from the smelting charge'for settling with minimumcontamination by the charge and fluedust. I M- g 4. 'A reverberatorysmelting furnace comprising a stack flue and communicating smeltingchamber 'havin a charge shelf formed of fired lumps of c rome ore, atrans:

verse series .of burners directed into' said smelting chamber towardsaid. stack flue,

a bridge Wall extending across the flue side of said-shelf to supportZthe charge being smelted, a transverse series of feed hoppers andchannels adapted to feed said charge and a settling chambercommunicating with said smelting chamber and on the opposite sidethereof from said stack flue to withdraw the melt from the smeltingcharge for settling with minimum contamination by the charge and fluedust. i -5. A! smelting furnace comprising a stack flue andacommunicating smelting chamber having a refractory; chrome charge shelfand a bridge wall adjacent one end of said jshelf, a series of burnersdirected. toward her toward saldst-ack line, a cooled bridge said shelfand bridge wall, "feeding means to feed the charge to said shelfadjacent said bridge wall and a settling chamber communieating withsaidsmelting chamber and located out of the path of the flue gases fromsaidburners topromote settling of the melt and minimize heat losses.

g In testimony whereof I have hereunto set I my hand, a g RICHARD A.WAGSTAFF.

charge shelf, a transverse

